


Flame Turns Blue

by ellethom



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Day Four- Reluctance, F/M, JB Week 2016, Modern AU, Post- Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-28
Updated: 2016-09-28
Packaged: 2018-08-18 08:24:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8155573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellethom/pseuds/ellethom
Summary: Two live connected over centuries. Reluctance.  Day 4





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [downlookingup](https://archiveofourown.org/users/downlookingup/gifts).



> This one is gifted to downlookingup because she was nice enough to let me have her prompt and run with it. It kinda ended up running me...you know how it goes.   
> She is also an amazing writer and you should go and read all of her stuff because DAMN.

“Are you saying that I am unworthy of such a fete?” Jaime asked the woman next to him with that same glint in his eye he usually saved for his squires. “Are you saying we shouldn?” He kicked at one of the crumbly stones from the building before them and found no satisfaction in the movement when the stone fractured into dozens of pieces instead of flying across the yard. 

“I never said that, Ser Jaime.” she bit. Not surprised at the sudden darkness that slid across his face at the name used. “I am saying we shouldn’t”

He neared her standing form then, “I have been inside your cunt more times than I have been inside my left hand. What part of honor keeps you from saying yes?”

She blanched at his crude language but held her ground. “What is there to be gained from this?” she spat. “If we marry then what? Will I be off to be your Lady wife, wait for you to return from the North?”

Jaime shook his head. “No, I imagine you’ll continue to be the same nagging, tow headed plank that you have been since we met. And, how can you wait for me at Casterly if you are keeping my back at the Wall? You forget, you are more my sellsword than my bed mate.”

“You’re improving every--”

“But I will never be what I was before.” he said.

Brienne gave a small smile, it broke through her scowl like a thousand suns. “Maybe that is not so bad a consequence?”

He wanted to take her, right there in front of that run down sept. “My Lady, you wonder why I am dragging you into this sept.”

“I’d like to see you try.” she fired back. “We’re in the middle of a War, Jaime. We may not even make it through.”

“All the more reason for us to marry.” He said. “You can vouch me out of the Seventh Hell.”

She opened her mouth to argue with him, but Jaime was quicker. His lips over hers kept her stubborn and full mouth from further flapping. “We do this.” he insisted, “and we never look back.”

Brienne nodded and allowed him to lead her to the tumbled down sept. Addam noticed where they were headed and ran over with a smile. “Don't do this.” he said to the two of them.

Jaime looked as if he would beat his former friend senseless, “Ser Addam, this is of no concern of yours.” Brienne spoke as a means of keeping the red haired man alive.

Addam turned toward the small encampment and whistled. Pod ran forward immediately followed quickly by Jaime’s two squires, Pretty Pia and a host of other. “You need to make sure you have witnesses.” Addam said with a nod of his head. “So no one can argue that the two of you never married.”

Jaime’s face broke into a beatific smile. He clapped his friend on the shoulder and Addam laughed. “Plus,” the younger man went on. “I need to be able to collect my twenty gold pieces. From Daven.”

The small sept could barely hold the twenty people who had agreed to sit as witness. The old septon seemed nervous at having so many people surrounding him. Jaime could not blame him, the septs had been mostly burned, raided or torn down between the murderers, red god followers and broken men. He made sure to give the old man ten gold pieces for his service. 

The small wedding party made their way back to the camp. There was silence in the cold as to keep from drawing attention. Jaime held her hand as they made their way back to his tent. Brienne stopped, a strange look on her moonlit face. “Jaime,” she said with a tilt of her head.

He grinned. “Still the shy maiden? I would have thought the night in that inn would have quelled that.”

She huffed like a spiteful stallion but tugged his arm toward an old but large tree. Jaime followed her happily as he always had, even before he realized her eyes had captured his soul. 

Brienne smiled and drew him into a kiss. “What happened to all that hells fire and reluctance?” he asked between kisses.

Brienne shrugged under his grasp. “You can be quite convincing.”

He wanted to say something back, something biting, chivalric and possibly aggravating. A million quips ran round his head, a million tactless and thoughtless and possibly inflammatory words danced in his head But, by the time they had divested each other of their clothing; Jaime could recall not a single word.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> World War 2 AU Think MASH meets Hemmingway...sort of?

“I didn't think you would still be here, Wench.” The blond man spoke from his bed and had aimed his rancor at the tall shambling thing in a too tight nurse’s uniform. 

“I didn't think you would be back here, so soon Lannister. Can’t seem to avoid sticking your mug where it doesn't belong. Eh?” She read his chart as she spoke, refusing to make any sort of eye contact with him, something that grated Jaime more than he cared to analyze.

“What?” he fired back. “And miss you're seeing my pretty face?”

She snorted behind the clipboard. “Yeah, sure, Lannister. That’s it exactly.”

He studied her feigned studiousness from his prone position. “They bust you down to nurse, Tarth? Who’d you malpractice?”

The woman tossed the clipboard onto the empty bed next to her and folded her arms. “We ran outta scrubs last night after the last raid came in. “

Jaime nodded, he knew what that was. “How you doing?” he asked as carelessly as he could muster. 

Brienne Tarth shrugged inside of the white dress and for a moment, Jaime thought she would Incredible Hulk right out of it. “I’m good. “ she said with a ghost of a smile. “Better than you, apparently.” She sat down on a stool and scooted closer to Jaime. “Tell me, how does a one handed man get himself into so much trouble?” She stared at the bandages that Jaime could only assume she had wrapped around his broken ribs herself. He had examined them before she showed up.

Jaime was all too familiar with her handywork.

“Oh, you know me. War ain’t gonna stop this GI from having fun.”

Brienne snorted again. “Drop the crap, Captain. Why are you not back in the world? I signed your papers myself.”

Jaime offered her the look that once caused women to swoon. It was rusty and a squeaked a bit as he brought it out. “Aw, c’mon Doc. You know I can’t just leave my men without leadership.”

Brienne sighed and rubbed her cheek; the one that Jaime had watched spew gore all over her white dress. But that had been months ago. “You should be back home, Jaime. Putting all of this behind you.”

“So should you,” he said softer than he had intended. His hand reached to touch the now healed but still jagged scar on her cheek. “Did you get my letters?” he whispered.

“Every single one.” she nodded softly.

“And yet, “ Jaime had to clear his throat before going on. “And yet I have none in response.”

“Don’t” she said shaking her head.

“Doc, “ he tried.

Brienne stood up and grabbed the chart. She was all business again as she made notations and moved toward the makeshift nurse’s station. 

“I didn't think you were craven.” He shouted to her.

Brienne turned around, that same determined look on her face she bore the night PFC Bittman aka “Biter” had decided to pay his bill in full with his teeth.

Brienne said something to the nurse on duty, flashed a glare in his direction and left.

 

She was sitting by his bed when he woke up in the early dawn. Sparse light was spewing through the plastic covered window above him. He smiled at her homely face, it was the most welcome thing he had ever seen. “Doc,”

She seemed surprised to hear his voice, but returned his smile with a sheltered one of her own. “You’re gonna be the death of me, Lannister.” she said through bleary eyes.

“How long was I out?” he rasped.

“Three days. The fever hit you after I left that night. They came and got me out of my rack.” She tugged at her standard issue tee shirt and Jaime could tell she was missing the regulation bra. “How you managed to turn three broken ribs into a full blown nosocomial infection is one for the books.”

“Anything to hang around you a few more days, Doc.” he smiled faintly.

“You nearly died.” 

“Aww, you were worried about me.” he said with a half smile. 

Brienne shook her head but smiled a little wider. “I’m the attending physician. Of course I came in to tend to your situation.”

It hurt like hell, but Jaime reached out for her long arm before she could move away. “Don’t go.” he said like a little boy whose parents were leaving for vacation. “I, I like the company.”

Brienne scooted further into her stool and nodded. “Your letters,” she said without meeting his eyes. “I’m not craven.”

Jaime nodded for her to go on. She ducked her head and sighed. “I was scared.”

“There were a lot of things you could be scared of, Doc.” he tried to sit up to reach her, but her large hand on his shoulder and the pain reminded him of his present limitations. “I ain’t one of them.”

“I know that, Jaime. But maybe, this one time. I was scared of myself.” She turned to face him then, the light of the window hitting her scar. It was in that moment, the imperfection of her that Jaime realized he was in love. 

“Do you know why I am here?” she asked.

“Is this an existential conversation?” he said. “Because I gotta be honest with you, Doc. I am absolutely the wrong person to ask. “

“Shut up, Jaime.” she gritted but the aggravation never reached her astonishing eyes. “I followed someone here. A guy someone.”

“Oh,” he said, feeling the weight of his injuries and something else, something decidedly...heavy. “I didn't know. I’m...sorry I would never have…”

Brienne laughed, a sound he would have given every single piece of gold in his father’s treasury to hear again. “Renly was a resident, and he went off to war. He was kind to me and he inspired me to follow. To do my duty for Gods and country. I had just finished medical school and I left Tarth to serve; gods, country, and Renly.”

Jaime nodded, he knew that feeling. Following someone for love. It was what lead him to follow his sister across the country, he gave up the life of a rich boy to be near Cersei and was sent off to war.

But Brienne already new that, she’d been his confessor every since she had hit him with those murder lamps. 

“I followed Renly into war, because he was kind to me.”

Jaime brought his good hand to her face, illuminated in the breaking dawn, his hand found her scar in the near darkness. A promise, a benediction. “Do you still….”

Brienne shook her head. “I haven't had much luck with men, Jaime.” she whispered. “I don't want to add you to that list.”

“There’s no list, Brienne.” he said in a hoarse whisper of a man who had lived off an IV for three days. “It's just me. And I am one of a kind.” He hoped the smile he offered to her was enough for her to see that his words were real.

Brienne drew away from his grasp, as if she had only just realized where she was and with whom. “I never said.”

He nodded. “You read my letters. You know what I feel. I laid it plain enough.” She nodded and he felt bold in her acquiescence. “Please.” he tried. 

“Jaime, you can’t possibly--”

“Don’t tell me how I feel.” his words angry and defiant. “Tell me you don't feel the same way, tell me you don't want me. Hell, tell me you are disgusted to be hounded by a sister fucker.” He pulled at her hand again. “But do not tell me how I feel.”

Brienne stood, letting his hand fall onto the crisp sheets of his bed.”You need sleep. You are still recovering from a nasty infection.” 

“You can’t medic away my feelings, Brienne. You never wrote back, I didn’t…” he swallowed into his dry throat. Brienne placed a glass of water into his good hand. She tipped the straw toward his mouth and held his head as he sipped. “I wanted to see you again.”

“You got yourself hurt just--”

“No!” jaime insisted too harshly. “No, I stayed because you were still here. I stayed because I don't want to go back into the world without you.”

“I don't know what even to say to that.” Brienne stood, chart forgotten she stared down at the man in the bed.

She towered over him and reached into her pocket. Brienne placed the bundle of papers into his hand and turned on her heel. He wanted to shout craven at her again, but the letters crinkled in his hands and he was so...struck by the gesture that he nearly dropped them.. 

The sun was peaking through the tarped window as he read the letters for the hundredth time. Even with the repetition of allowing her words to sink into his flesh, the smile he canted still remained. 

He couldn't wait to get out of there.


End file.
